Eminent Chancellor: I present to you a man whose name is indeed golden in the ears of prairie farmers, because he makes two stems of wheat grow where previously one had sickened and remained barren. He has been a general in the continuing warfare with the farmers' great and resourceful enemy, disease of cereal crops, frustrating that enemy by creating new varieties which it is powerless to attack. His latest creation to meet the latest thrust of the enemy, rust form 15B, has only recently been released and appropriately christened "Selkirk."
A distinguished alumnus of this university, Dr. Goulden was for many years in charge of the breeding of cereals at the Federal Rust Research Laboratory in Winnipeg. His achievements there included not only the successful production of new varieties but also much fundamental research which lay behind that success. At the same time he became known internationally as an investigator and author in the field of statistics particularly as applied to biological and agricultural problems.
At present as Chief of the Division of Cerals of the Canada Department of Agriculture he holds one of Canada's most important scientific posts, directs the researches on cereal crops conducted by that department throughout the country, and influences all similar work in other institutions.
Eminent Chancellor, on behalf of the Council and Senate of this university I ask that you confer on Cyril Harold Goulden the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.